The present disclosure relates generally to power supplies for electronic devices and, more particularly, to power supplies for display panels.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Flat panel displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays are commonly used in a wide variety of electronic devices, including such consumer electronics as televisions, computers, and handheld devices (e.g., cellular telephones, audio and video players, gaming systems, and so forth). Such display panels typically provide a flat display in a relatively thin package that is suitable for use in a variety of electronic goods. In addition, such devices typically use less power then comparable display technologies, making them suitable for use in battery-powered devices or in other contexts where it is desirable to minimize power usage.
Display panel power supplies may include a low dropout (LDO) regulator that provides a supply voltage and a supply current based on a reference voltage and a bias current. The responsiveness of the regulator to changes in the amount of supply current drawn by the display panel may depend in part on the amount of bias current supplied to the regulator. In particular, the higher the bias current, the more rapidly the regulator may respond to changes in the supply current. However, the higher the bias current, the more power consumed by the power supply.
A variety of events undertaken by the display panel may cause the display panel to consume varying amounts of supply current at any given time. For example, toggling at COM lines, source lines, and gate lines in the display panel may produce spikes in the amount of supply current drawn by the display panel. To ensure that the display panel power supply is sufficiently responsive despite such supply current fluctuations, the LDO regulator of the display panel power supply may be provided with a relatively high bias current at all times, which may consume a relatively high amount of power.
Additionally, different display panels may be more likely to consume variable amounts of power. For example, a display panel manufactured by one vendor may draw more power when certain events occur (e.g., the display panel may operate in a manner that draws large swings of supply current) than a display panel manufactured by another vendor. As a result, a bias current sufficient for one display panel may not be sufficient for another display panel.